Kamisato Ayato's voice grew louder, with a hoarse desperation: "Are you going to let the people wait for death? Do you want to watch Inazuma become a wasteland in famine, chaos, and total collapse?!"
"Ritou is important, but now it's a heavy burden!"
"A burden with chaotic management, backward infrastructure, and panicked people!"
"Using it to exchange for Fontaine's aid is worth it!"
Yae Miko froze in place as if doused with a bucket of ice water.
As the Kitsune Guuji, where wisdom and beauty coexist, how could she not understand these truths?
The wounds of the Sakoku Decree had not yet healed, the pain of internal purges continued, production was withered, trade was cut off, and reputation was ruined... Ritou, once Inazuma's bustling gateway to foreign trade, had long since become a hot potato, a bottomless pit that could never be filled.
But—
That's Ritou!
It's the Ritou where Lady Kitsune Saiguu once said with a smile, "I want to sell Inazuma's goods from here to the Seven Nations!"
It's the Ritou that Lord Makoto spent his life's blood planning and building, hoping it would become a bridge of friendship between Inazuma and the outside world!
It's the Inazuman territory that Ei has guarded for five hundred years!
Cede?
These words were like a red-hot branding iron, searing her heart and making her soul scream in resistance.
"We have no other choice!!"
Seeing her silence, Kamisato Ayato suddenly looked up, his eyes bloodshot and cold sweat dripping from his forehead:
"If only there were a second path!"
"If only my life could be traded for Fontaine's aid...!"
"I, Kamisato Ayato, would rather commit seppuku this instant than ever utter the word 'cede'!"
Tears welled up in Yae Miko's eyes without warning, blurring her vision.
"...Fine."
—
Three days later, early morning.
The sea mist had not yet fully dispersed, and the sky was a hazy grayish-blue.
On the coastline of Ritou, a samurai on night watch yawned, preparing to change shifts.
Then, his yawn froze on his face.
"What... what is that?"
At first, it was a blurred outline on the horizon, like low-hanging clouds.
But soon, that outline became clear at an alarming speed, breaking through the morning mist and crashing into view.
One ship, two, ten, fifty... When over a hundred steel warships, flying Fontaine's deep blue flags, with streamlined hulls and grim cannons, filled the outer sea of Ritou like a silent herd of giant beasts, the overwhelming pressure made all the Inazumans who saw the scene instantly lose their ability to speak.
"Woo—!!"
Deep and powerful steam whistles sounded one after another, penetrating the morning mist and echoing over Ritou and even further into Inazuma City.
That was not a greeting for a merchant ship entering port, but a declaration of power.
Workers moving goods early at the docks dropped their crates with a "clatter";
Patrolling Ashigaru's legs went weak, and they could barely hold their spears;
Children awakened in their homes peered through window cracks, only to be terrifiedly pulled back into their parents' arms;
"There's... there's something on the sea!"
"So many... so many ships!"
"Monsters! Monsters from the sea have come ashore!"
"No, that's Fontaine's fleet!"
"Why are there so many? Are they really going to attack?!"
"It's over, even the Shogun was defeated. How can we resist these steel monsters?"
"Mom, I'm scared..."
Panic spread like ink dropped into clear water.
Whispers turned into suppressed cries of alarm; some began to flee inland recklessly, and the docks instantly fell into chaos.
Some elderly people even looked at the dark shadows of the ships and remembered the black calamity that swept through Inazuma in ancient legends, unable to stop their tears from falling.
During this time, news that the Raiden Shogun had been defeated at Tenshukaku by that Fontaine Guardian and that the Three Commissions had been bathed in blood had already spread across the Inazuma Archipelago like wildfire.
While the people cheered for the removal of the parasites, there was a deeper sense of confusion and fear regarding the country's future and their own fate.
Now, this fleet, vast beyond imagination, seemed to materialize that fear.
The gangway of justice was lowered.
King, wearing his blue windbreaker, walked down with his hands in his pockets and an expressionless face.
Following behind him were Clorinde, Lynette, Lumine, and Paimon, as well as Zhongli, who was looking around curiously.
Arataki Itto, still dazed on the ship, had his mouth open wide enough to fit a naku weed.
He stared blankly at the forest of steel on the sea, his tongue tied: "Whoa... damn... my god..."
"One, two, three... Wow! I can't count them all!"
"A-Nin, A-Nin! Look! This is... too amazing!"
"Do Fontaine's ships grow out of the ground? How are there so many!"
He only knew before that Fontaine was powerful and Lord King was incredibly strong.
But he never imagined the gap could be this huge!
Compared to these steel behemoths, Inazuma's wobbly little wooden boats were like leaves floating in a bathtub!
Kuki Shinobu didn't mock him for being embarrassing this time because she was also deeply shocked.
Her purple eyes looked at the disciplined fleet that silently emitted a sense of deterrence, her heart filled with mixed emotions.
While studying in Liyue, Kuki Shinobu had seen merchant ships from many countries.
She considered herself to have some understanding of the military power of the nations of Teyvat.
She knew Fontaine was strong as a leading nation in Teyvat's technology.
But a fleet of this scale was still far beyond her imagination.
"Is the gap really this big?"
Kuki Shinobu whispered to herself, her hands inside her sleeves subconsciously tightening.
Kujou Sara, who had already received notice and was leading the remaining Tenryou Commission to maintain order at the docks, was now waiting with a complex expression.
She looked at the thick cannon barrels, the sleek hulls of those Fontaine warships, and the sailors on deck in uniform uniforms moving efficiently... Kujou Sara couldn't help but think of the few "advanced" coastal defense guns the Tenryou Commission had scraped together funds to buy from Fontaine... Compared to the fleet before her, those cannons were like children's toys.
A mixture of helplessness and bitterness surged in her heart.
Only now did she understand that what Fontaine sold to you was always only what they were willing to let you see—the "old stock" they had long since phased out.
Truly good weapons were never put up for sale.
At the time, they actually thought that was all Fontaine had.
How ridiculous, how tragic.
On the side, Yae Miko's reaction was completely different.
After the initial shock, her beautiful pale purple fox eyes quickly lit up with joy, and her ears even twitched happily.
The stronger Fontaine was, the more guaranteed the aid they promised would be!
What Inazuma needed most now was external blood and stable support. Although the arrival of this fleet was frightening, it was also a powerful "endorsement."
She glanced at Ei beside her, who had mostly recovered from his injuries, and felt slightly relieved.
He should have some say, right?
At least, as one of seven sovereigns, Ei would definitely not lose to Focalors!
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